When a balloon used for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is inflated and forced into contact with the plaque, the balloon can have a tendency to move or slip longitudinally in relation to the lesion or the vessel wall being treated.
Cutting balloons (atherotomy) have recently shown clinical efficacy in preventing the reoccurrence of some types of restenosis (specifically calcified lesions and in-stent restenosis). The cutting balloon is a coronary dilatation catheter with 3 to 4 atherotomes (microsurgical blades) bonded longitudinally on the balloon surface. As the cutting balloon is inflated, the atherotomes move radially and open the occluded artery by incising and compressing the arterial plaque in a controlled manner. An additional advantage of the cutting balloon is that it maintains its position during inflation by using the metal blades on the external surface of the balloon to penetrate into the tissue and prevent the balloon from moving.
Accordingly, it is the principal objective of the present invention to provide a PTA or PTCA balloon that, like a cutting balloon, has a reduced potential of slippage when inflated in a vessel.